How the Sowle is Led to Iugement bitwene the Aungel and the Fowle Sathanas

Capitulo Tercio

So was I thenne ledde bytwene them bothe, & faste I was lyft vp in to the eyer, the angel vpon my ryght syde and the fowle wyght vppon the other syde. But to this gentyl angel ful ofte cast I myn eye, for drede of that other, whiche me lothed so moche, and was of hym hugely in doute.

So thenne I byheld dounward for to see the Erthe, and sothely me semyd the see and the Erthe al to geders no more but as it hadde ben a lytel towne or castel. And yet semyd me moche more nerre than it was byfore. In this ayer sawe I many a merueylous wonderful and dyuerse sighte^c. The Erthe semyd me al clere and transparaunt, soo that I myght see clerely al that was withynne.

Thenne byhelde I the Centre euen in the myddes, whiche was wonder derck in it self, and was aboute enuyronned by ordre of lesse derke matere and lesse, so that the ouermoost of the Erth was moost clere and alwey the clerenesse amenussyng dounward by veray formal processe anone to the Centre, that was veray derke withoute ony parcel of clerenes. Nought for thy al was transparaunt, ryght as glas, to the maner of my syght, whiche was that tyme al other than was my flesshely syght whyle that I lyued in Erthe.

And ryght as the fletyng ayer yeuyth place to the flyght of byrdes, or as the flowyng water to swymmyng of fysshes, ryght so was al this Erthe passyble to spirites.And also thyck they passyd on euery syde to and fro, as motys fletyn in the sonne beme, as wel in the eyer aboue as in the erth bynethen, wendyng alwey to and fro withoute ony cessyng. These spirites also in theym self were dyuerse and disparayble, bothe in theyr personnes and also in theyr wonderful occupacyons, of whiche I had ful grete merueyl, for the syght of some thynges that I sawe gladyd moche my herte, and the syght of somme other thynges dyscomfortyd me hugely, ne suche thynges wold I nought haue trowyd yf I had nought seen it my self.

But this fayr yonglynge myn angel ne taryed nought at al, but hastely he hyed to brynge me to myn iugement toward a ful merueylous place, whiche I byhelde a fer byfore me, bryght shynynge, enflammed with huge lyght. To this place he ledde me nought wythynne, but made me abyde without, where was an huge multytude gadred, and were abydyng for the same cause lyke as I was. This Angel myn wardeyn left me there withoute and wende hym self withynne.

[3v] This company^b that was withoute cryeden besily to saynt Mychael, eueryche for his party, with hye voys, and sayde `Mychael Prouost, delyuer vs our praye and our prysoners!' Myn enemy this grysely ghoost also bygan to cryen, wherof I was ful gretely annoyed and in ful hyghe discomfort.